Pneumatic action for reed organs



April 28, 1925. I 1,535,493

P. PRESTON PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR REED ORGANS Filed Jan. 10, 1923 ltl Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

* 1,535,493 PATENT OFFICE.

, PERCY PRESTON, 0F ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR REED ORGANS.

Application filed January 10, 1922. Serial No. 528,179.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY PRESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ardmore, in the county of Carter and State of Oklahoma,l1aveinvented a new and useful Pneumatic Action for Reed Organs, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to a pneumatic action for reed organs and more especially to an action adapted to be controlled by the keys of a piano keyboard so that the reeds of the organ unit placed in the lower portion oi a piano can be sounded.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means whereby the keys of the keyboard will be givenan organ touch when the organ is to be played but willhave the ordinary piano touch when theorgan unit is not being played. 1

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides 1n the com.-

' bination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changesin the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without depart ing from the spirit of the invention.

can be depressed without operating the,

tracker. A casing or conduit 3 is adapted to be extended throughout the length of and below the keyboard and has an air passage 4 therein. Arranged along the conduit 3 is a series of cells one of which has been inclicated at 5, each cell being in communication with the air passage 4 through a port 6. Another port 7 extends from each cell through the top of the conduit and is provided with a valve 8 to which is connected one end of a pin 9 arranged longitudinally within the port 7. A valve 10 is mounted on that end of the tracker 2 extending into the cell 5 and is adjustably attached thereto by a washer 11 of leather or the like screwed onto the tracker. A spring 12 serves to hold the valve 10 normally upon its seat and when the valve is thus situated both the port (3 and the port 7 are closed thereby.

A tube 12 connects each port 7 with a pneumatic 13 supported on the air chest 14 and extending from the air chest are reed and pipe cells 15, 16, 17 and 18 having ports 19, 20, 21 and 22 through which air is designed to pass into the air chest after vibrating the reeds shown generally at 23.

A valve 2% is mounted in the air chest and is connected by the tracker 25 to the pneumatic 13. Springs 26 serve to hold the valve 2 1 normally seated to closethe air ports and adjustable stops 27 serve to limit the movement of the valve.

Arranged under the conduit 3 is a pneumatic 28 suitablv connected to the air passage 4, as by means of a tube 29.. The upper portion of thepneumatic is stationary, being connected to a rail A or the like while the lower portion is movable and is connected by one or more rods 30 to the conduit 3. This conduit is pivotally mounted, as shown at 31. Obviously, therefore,'when it is designed to use the apparatus for the purpose of playing or vibrating the reeds, a-suction is set up through the'passage 4 by any suitable means not shown whereupon the pneumatic 28 will be collapsed and the conduit 3 raised so as to bring each tracker 2 against its key 1 to give the keys of the keyboard an organ touch. Asa constant partial vacuumis-maintained in the passage 4 it will be apparent that when any one of the keys 1 is depressed its valve 10 will be unseated and a suction will be set up from the pneumatic '13 through tube 12 and port 7 to the cell 5 and thence by way of port 6 to the passage 4. The collapse of pneumatic 13 will result in the unseating of the valve 24 and the sounding of the reeds controlled thereby, this sounding being due to the inrush 01" air through the pipes and past the reeds to the ports 19, 20, 21 and 22. lVhen the key 1 is released the valve 10 will be automati cally seated and the pin or tracker 9 will open the valve 8 so as to allow the air to break the suction. When the suction through passage 4 is stopped, the conduit 3 will lower automatically so as to move the tracker 2 away from the key 1. Thus the piano touch of the key will be restored.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a key of a piano keyboard, of a movably supported conduit thereunder, a pneumatic in communication V with the'interioii'ot the conduit-and connected to s-aid conduit, an air chest freed pipes inoun'ted thereon, a valve for controlling: the flow of air past the re'ed.,pipes,. a pneumatic 5 connected to the valve, a tube connection between the conduit and saicl pneumatic, a

valve for controlling the flow of air from said tube into the conduit,:and-a tracker car-- ried by the valve and adapted to be actuated thereunderand having an air passage, a

i 'pneumati'c connected tosai'd structure and in communication with. the passage, said 'pneuinatic being collapsible by the creation of a partial-vacuum in the air passage thereby? to-shift the structurerelative-to the key, areed pipe, a valve therefor,a pneumatic for controllingthe operation of the valve, a

air passage in the movable structure,avaive forcontrolling theflow of air; to said pas "sage, and a tracker connected to the-valve and movable ith the structure into and out of operative relationavith the key of the 'keyboardfl V v 3-.Theconibinationwith a key of a piano keyboard, o'ffmeans for controlling the,

sounding. of an organ attachment, said means including a movably mounted structure having an airpastage, a valve iii-said structure 'for' controllii'ig the How. of air to the iassag'e,

a'tracker connected. to 'the' valve and extending trom "the structure, and a pneumatic;

connected to said structure to operate it, said pneumaticbeing in communication with the air passage, saidpn-eumatic b'eingcollapsi: .ble by the Withdrawal of air from the air connection between the pneumatic and the passage thereby to shift the tracker into op erative. relation. With the key of the keyboard. 7 At. The. combinationwith a key of a piano ke bo'ard, of'nieansfo'r controlling the soundingo f an organattachinent, said means including a structure movablymounted and having an air passage thereinfa valve, for

controlling the flow of air to the air passage,

a tracker extending from the valve and be-" yond the structure,- a' pneumaticconnected to said structure to operate it, said pneurnatic being in communication with the air passagasaid tracker being, shiftable by: the

HOW of air in one dircction through the air passage thereby to move the tracker into operative relatiouvvith the key of 'the key-' board.

5.:The combination with akey o'f-a pianokeyboard, of a conduit pivotally mounted,

sounding reeds, a valve for controlling the flow of'air past the reeds, a pneumatic con n'ected to the valve,'a second pneumatic con' 'nected to thezconduit and-adapted,'Whencollapsed, to shift the conduit outof normal position, a vaive controlling tracker carried by the conduit andfshittable thereby u tocontact with the key, a tube connection between the first namedpneuinati'c and the conduit and normally cut off from the interior of the cenduit by the trackervalve, a valve forclosing communication between the tube and;

the external atmosphere, .andJ means carried valve normally open. I

y In testirn'onythat I claim the-foregoing. as my own, I have hereto afiixed iny signa' ture in the presence of tvvo ivitnesses. 1

Witnesses; V r

IDALPH-EN EAs'rERWoon,

" W. WFORT.

by the tracker valve for holding theother PERCY PRESTON; 

